


Happy Holidays, Hellacutecas!

by poppycurls



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: (only one fic is an episode fic), Angst, DWSecretSanta 2014, F/M, Fluff, Holidays, Hurt/Comfort, Multiple One-Shots, Post-Episode: s08e10 In the Forest of the Night, Secret Santa, holiday-themed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-23
Updated: 2014-12-23
Packaged: 2018-03-03 02:40:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2835101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poppycurls/pseuds/poppycurls
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This year, I participated in the dwsecretsanta, and I got the lovely June (hellacutecas/whitechristmascas). I loved loved LOVED writing for her, so here's her gift: Four different fluffy one-shots (some holiday themed) Featuring Clara/Danny, Eleven/River, Amy/Rory, and Ten/Rose. Per her request "I don't really mind anything but if there's sweaters and hot cocoa I'm in", every story has a part (no matter how small!) with a sweater and hot cocoa. Enjoy! :)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Little Talks (of Time Travel and Parenting)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Hi, hellacutecas! I hope this message finds you well and fabulous. I hope that you have a great holiday season. Right now, it’s November 4th - so I hope you had a great Halloween! I’m so excited to be doing this for you. Ah, but, I’m rambling, aren’t I? Let’s get the story started! The first chapter features Clara Oswald and Danny Pink. --raxacoricofallapotato

After the Earth survived its second solar flare, and after Clara and the Doctor watched as the trees disappeared, Clara found herself alone, standing at the window, listening to the last few echoes of the TARDIS as it left. When the noise faded away, Clara sighed, pressing her hands against the cool window pane. She stood like that for a while, not wanting to move. It wasn’t until she heard the click of a door knob turning that she dropped her hands, and straightened herself up. “Hey, Danny,” she said, without turning around.

“Ms. Oswald, hello,” Danny said, slipping behind her and wrapping his arms around her. “I just came to check if you were okay. Are you?”

“Yeah, I’m good. You?”

“Mostly.”

“You know what, I think I’m just a ‘mostly’, too.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Mmmhmm.”

Danny leaned forward a bit, resting his chin on her shoulder and pressing their cheeks together. It had been a long day for both of them, testing their love for each other, their loyalty to their values, their patience, their courage, and so much more. All Danny really wanted at the end of it all was some sleep, but he was not the type of man to sleep all of his problems and worries away when someone so close to him needed him. This is why he had found himself getting into his car and driving halfway across the city to check on Clara.

Clara, on the other hand, just wanted to tell him the truth. She wanted to say that she had been traveling with the Doctor, and no, she wasn’t going to stop. That didn’t mean that she loved Danny any less, but all of this was jumbled in her head and she didn’t want to attempt to say it yet, for fear for messing it up and hurting Danny even more than she might have already had. For now, she kept quiet, enjoying the feeling of Danny’s presence.

Clara sighed inwardly, preparing herself for the question she was about to ask. “Are you mad at me?”

“A little bit,” Danny said in his calm, leveled voice. “Actually, I’m really mad. But now’s not the time to talk about it. We can chat later, after a good night’s sleep, we can go out, get lunch, sit and talk formally-”

“That sounds wonderful, Mr. Pink.” Clara said, relaxing bit. “Are you staying for long?”

“Well, I wasn’t planning on it, but I can.”

“You should,” The English teacher spun around and kissed Danny on the nose. “I think that a night in would be the best thing for both of us, giving us time to recover from today.”

“Yeah, okay.” Danny tried to look like he didn’t want to, but the false expression of annoyance on his face only made Clara laugh, swatting at him playfully. “Ow, that hurt!” he rubbed at a spot on his arm where Clara had smacked him.

“It did not!” Clara laughed louder. “Wimp.”

Danny lunged at her, arms outstretched. “Nobody calls me a wimp and gets away with it!” He was laughing too, his face stretching to make room for the large smile that crossed it."

Clara stuck her tongue out at him, and ran into the next room. Danny chased her, grin stretching wider by the second. The two of them ran all over the small apartment, laughing and teasing.

It wasn’t until Clara rounded the kitchen corner for a third time that Danny was able to catch up with her. Clara’s sock-covered feet slipped on the tiles, and she tilted, headed for the floor. The math teacher used this time to catch up with Clara, reaching out to catch her before she hit the floor. “Well, Mr. Pink,” Clara said, blushing slightly, “With a heroic save like that, the students will really start to talk.”

“This is true. However, I think the fact that we kissed in front of an entire class today may have already proven those rumors to be correct, Ms. Oswald.”  

At this, Clara groaned, letting her head drop into Danny’s shoulder. “That was today? That seems like years ago.”

Danny laughed, but this time, it wasn’t a bright, happy laugh, but a hollow sounding one.

Clara looked up at him, at Danny’s face, now turned away from her and facing the wall as if he were in deep thought, and cleared her throat. “You know what, Mr. Pink? I’m making us some hot cocoa.”

“Sorry?”

“You heard me. Hot cocoa. It fixes everything.”

“Oh. Alright.”

Clara then moved about the kitchen, humming a bit and swaying her hips in time, trying to block out the deafening silence that was between her and the man of her dreams. For a few minutes there, everything had been alright, and Clara was determined to make that happen again.

Danny watched from the kitchen table, his eyes following her as she reached into the fridge and pulled out some milk. When she finally finished making the cocoa and brought over two mugs, he was able to look into her face, trying to read the expression there. What he saw was a desperate attempt to pretend like nothing was wrong. That was Clara for you - she loved to be in control, and the moment she wasn’t, she started falling apart. “Want to … see what’s on the telly?”

“I- yeah. Yes, let’s.” Clara looked more than relieved.

They walked back to the couch, carefully balancing steaming mugs of cocoa in their hands. They settled down on the couch, not too far from each other, but not too close, either. Danny reached for the remote. The first channel had a couple fighting, yelling at each other from across the table. He quickly pressed a button on the remote, going to the next channel. _Click_. A Sci-Fi movie was on, showing two groups of aliens blasting lasers at each other. _Click_. A nature documentary about forests. Great. Just great. _Click._ A children’s show.

 _Click._ Clara had grabbed the remote from his hands and shut the television off. Danny turned to her, mouth open in protest, but before he could get a word in, Clara stood up. “I’m sorry, Danny. But this just isn’t working. I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

Then Danny was up on his feet, too. “Clara, be reasonable.”

“I’m sorry, we can do this later. But not now. Not while we haven’t … talked.”

“Okay, then, let’s talk. Get it over with.”

“NO! No. I need to prepare.”

“Then we can talk about something else.”

“No, no, no. We really can’t. Just go, Danny.” Clara headed over to the chair Danny’s sweater was draped over, and picked it up, ready to hand it to him.

Frantically, Danny searched through his mind, thinking of anything he could say to stop Clara from kicking him out. Because once he left, he knew that it would be that much harder to have the talk both he and Clara dreading. So, in an attempt to make things better, Danny blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “Clara, how do you feel about having kids?”

The sweater fell from Clara’s hands. “What?”

“I - I mean, not with me. This - I didn’t mean it about us. Just in general. You know?”

Clara’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Then why did you ask me?”

“Because, I - I’ve been thinking. And I guess today, I’ve been thinking more than normal. Because we’ve been with kids all day, and doing more things with them than most teachers and students have ever done.”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah what?”

“I think, one day, I want kids.”

“Really?”

“I love kids, you know I do. I’m a teacher, and before that, I was a nanny. And I think, in another life, I was a governess.”

“I’m sorry, did you just say in another life?”

Clara shrugged Danny’s comment off, continuing. “I love kids. I do. I really want to have kids. Wow, I - I didn’t even realize that. But yes. I’d love to have them.”

Danny laughed lightly. “I can just see little Claras running around.”

“They would have to go to our school!” Clara’s mood had turned around completely.

“I hope they’re good at maths. I wouldn’t want to fail your kids.”

“You would be in big trouble if you failed my children, Danny. I swear.”

“Alright, then.” Danny couldn’t help but laugh, mostly with relief that his crazy subject-changing plan had worked.                                                                                 

“What about you?”

“Me? Have kids? Yeah. Definetly.”

“Sounds like you’ve given this a lot of thought,” Clara said, grinning at him.

“Well, yeah. Like you said, we’re teachers, so of course we have to like kids.”

“That’s true. But this is different. This is raising a kid from birth to adulthood, and watching over them and protecting them even beyond that. And the kids would be your own, your own little creations…”

“Clara, you would make a great mother.”

“Me? No, no, definitely not. I don’t have the patience, I’m too bossy-”

“You’d love your kids to death-”

“I’d be frustrated if I can’t control them-”

“All parents have to be a little protective, that’s a good thing-”

“I wouldn’t be good-”

“Yes, but, nobody is ever really ready to be a parent, right? Once you’re actually stuck with a child, then all of the sudden, you can do it. As long as you want the best for your kids, you can’t fail at parenting.”

Clara stared at him.

“Well, I’m right!”

“True, but, I’ve come to a realization.”

“What?”

“Danny Pink, you would make the best father in the world, hands down, no questions asked.”

“Clara I wouldn’t-”

“Oh, yes you would. Don’t fight me on this.”

“I’m not trying to fight you.”

“I know. I - I just -” Clara stopped to think about her next words. “I need you to leave.”

“What?”

“Look, I’ll call you tomorrow, at noon, and if I don’t, you can come barging in here. I just need to think about what I’m going to say tomorrow, because I love you, Danny, and I don’t want this relationship to end, I want to stay with you forever. I want to be with you every second of every day, I want to see you grow old, and I want to see you, one day, live your dream and become a father. Okay?”

“Yes. I - I understand what you’re trying to say.” Danny leaned down and picked up his fallen sweater, then stood up to his full height, and kissed Clara on the forehead. “At noon tomorrow, yeah?”

“Definetly.”

“Okay.” Danny headed for the door, opening it and stepping outside into the hallway. “And Clara?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you too.” And with that, he swung the door shut behind him.

 

 


	2. Kill Two Hearts with One Stone (Or Sentence)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, June! Well, ever since season eight ended, I’ve been struggling with finishing off the Clara/Danny fic. I’ll get back to it, though. Hopefully. :) (Update: Finished it! Although I feel that it might have run away from me a little bit. These next couple are better though, promise.) Anyway, it’s November 22nd, so I hope you have a fabulous Thanksgiving, you fabulous person. Enjoy! This one features Rose Tyler and the Tenth Doctor. --raxacoricofallapotato

“Hey, Doctor! There you are! I’ve been looking all over for you.” Rose Tyler bounded into the room the Doctor was in, having spent the last half hour looking for him. Their day together had started out normally, with the duo waking up in the TARDIS and then deciding what planet they wanted to see. Unfortunately, the planet chosen was far more hostile than expected, and the Doctor and Rose were soon captured, then separated. Although, come to think of, this was pretty much a normal day. After some quick thinking and fast talking, Rose had escaped her captors and then began her search for her Time Lord companion throughout the rather modern building. She found him in what appeared to be a room filled with office cubicles, crouched over something on the ground.

At the sound of her voice, the Doctor’s head shot up from what he was examining, but he didn’t turn around. Instead, he said her name quietly. “Rose?”

“Yeah, it’s me. Are you okay? I don’t think we’re in any danger anymore, everyone has calmed down. We can leave now too, if you want. You can show me some other planet.” Rose smiled, and started walking towards him.

The Doctor stood slowly, then turned around to face his friend.

“Doctor? Are you okay?” Rose asked tentatively.

“Are you?” The reply sounded strangled.

“Yeah, of course. Have you - Doctor, have you been crying?” Rose quickly took notice of the alien’s red, bloodshot eyes.

The Doctor took a deep breath, as if preparing himself to explain, then caught Rose off guard by lunging at her, then wrapping his arms around her, holding her close.

“Are you okay?” Rose asked again, starting to sound panicky. “You’re not, are you? Oh no, you’re not. You’re not okay.”

“I’m fine. I’m better than fine, actually. I’m - I’m amazing. Never been this good in my life.”

Rose ducked out from under his arms, then stood to face him, frowning. “There’s something wrong, isn’t there? You wouldn’t be acting like this otherwise.”

Then, without warning, the Doctor collapsed in a heap on the ground, sobbing.

Horrified, Rose when to kneel next to him, one hand running fingers through his standing-on-end hair, the other placed on his shaking shoulder. “Doctor, what’s wrong? Please, just tell me, I don’t know what to do! I need you tell me! What did they do to you?”

The Doctor slowly moved so that he was kneeling too, facing her. And then, without warning, he started laughing maniacally. Rose stared at him, terrified, seeing as he was both laughing and crying at the same time, both hysterically.

“I don’t - I don’t understand,” Rose whispered.

“You’re alive. You’re alive, Rose, and that’s all that matters.” He held out his hand, clenched in a fist, then slowly opened it, showing her a piece of pink fabric, half of it covered in blood. “I was in here, and I heard a woman scream.” The Doctor cringed like the memory was painful to recall, but kept going. “I swear it sounded so much like you, I don’t know what I was thinking. Then they came in, gave this to me, and told me - and told me -”

“Shhh, it’s okay, I’m here now, we’re both here, everything is fine.” Rose leaned over and encased her friend in a hug of her own. She understood now, finally, and knew what was wrong and what to do to fix it. In all honesty, she felt rather touched, but the thought was too selfish for her to linger on.

Rose shifted her herself into the Doctor’s lap, positioning her body so that she could rest her head on his chest. The Doctor held her for a long time, one hand pressed against her wrist, in order to feel her pulse and reassure himself that it was there, and the other attached to an arm that wrapped around Rose’s midriff, keeping her close. He kept his head bowed, lips close to her hair. The two time travelers sat in that position for a long time, until the Doctor’s breathing had slowed down considerably and he was no longer in tears.

When the two broke part, Rose looked at him. She didn’t want him flying the TARDIS in this state, even if he was a lot better than when she first walked in on him. She didn’t even want to bring him into the time machine. The TARDIS was practically endless, and bringing the Doctor inside might mean that Rose wouldn’t be able to keep an eye on him. Instead, she stood up, offering her hand to the Time Lord to do the same, and led him into the nearest cubical. Upon entering, Rose pulled up two desk chairs to the nearest computer, and had the Doctor unlock it with the sonic.

She started looking up movies to watch, and next to her, the Doctor frowned. “What are you doing?”

“We’re going to watch a movie, don’t complain.”

“I’m not!”

“What do you want to watch?”

“I can always do with a good Harry Potter marathon.”

Rose rolled her eyes. “Find then. Harry Potter it is. Go see if you can find any food, I’m starving.”

The Doctor started looking in the drawers of the desk, letting out a triumphant ‘Aha!’ when he found something. “Cocoa mix!” The Doctor said, looking extremely pleased with himself. “Now, all in need is water…”

Within a few minutes, both the Doctor and Rose were seated next to each other, both with steaming cups warming their hands, and “Hedwig’s Theme” playing in the background.

“Rose?” the Doctor asked.

“Yeah.”

“Sorry for being such an idiot.”

“It’s okay.”

“I just freaked out, I guess. If we were separated, and you were okay, that would hurt, but it wouldn’t be as bad. I just -”

“I know.”

The next thing Rose felt was the Doctor’s face pressed into her shoulder, and him entwining their arms together, as though he was trying to press himself into the pink fabric of her sweater.

 

 


	3. Raggedy Ann, not Raggedy Man

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, you amazing person! Today is November 29th, so I hope that you had a fantastic Thanksgiving! :) Anyway, I realize now that the last two fanfics haven’t been very holiday themed. So, I’m planning on turning that around with these last two fics! (I just love writing for you so much, ohmygosh. :D ) So, here you go! Number three: River Song and the Eleventh Doctor. --raxacoricofallapotato

“Come back soon, Doctor?” Amy leaned through the open doorway, her red hair forming a curtain around her face. The Doctor had spent the evening at his companions’ house for a Christmas dinner, and unfortunately, had to leave when the party reached the next day.

“Yeah, of course, Pond. You and Rory take care, okay?” He looked back at her, kissed her forehead, then left, heading off towards his time machine.

Even though the Doctor had a great time with his friends, there were other things on his mind. The night had been going incredibly great, and the exchanging of presents and gone really well. In all honestly, Amy didn’t seem to like her box of Rubik's Cubes  in every shape possible, (he found on with forty sides once!) but she smiled at him anyway and gave him a big hug. It wasn’t until Rory had shoved and old ragdoll into his hands that the Doctor started to feel uneasy.

_“But, why?” The Doctor looked down at his hands and the doll that rested in it. “You already gave me a present. And this one isn’t even wrapped.”_

_“Yeah. I know,” Rory said, shifting his feet uncomfortably. “It’s Amy’s. She was cleaning out the attic a while ago, and found it. Said she slept with it when she was little. Amy wanted to throw it out, but I kept it. It… I feel like it’s important. Just take it, okay?”_

The Doctor didn’t ask anymore questions, just stowed the doll away, not looking at it again until he reached the security of the TARDIS.

The thing was, he agreed with Rory. There was something particularly interesting about that doll. Had he seen it before? No, he didn’t think so. Then why was it so familiar?

Walking into the police box, the Doctor took the toy out of his pocket and set it on the console. Immediately, the TARDIS responded, and the console lit up, preparing for travel. “I - what?” The Doctor looked around, confused. “No, no, don’t do that, old girl. Stay here, I didn’t ask you to leave!!” But the time machine had other plans, and soon she was spinning through the vortex, toward a new destination.

When the the time machine finished materializing, the Doctor picked up the doll, tucked it in his pocket, and headed out.

It was snowing heavily, and somewhere, beyond the Time Lord’s line of vision, there were Christmas carolers. The TARDIS had parked herself behind a group of old buildings, in an alley, so he couldn’t see anything happening on the main street.

Pulling his jacket closer, he started walking, his intended path towards the main street. However, a loud noise coming from the building next to him stopped the Doctor in his tracks. Without hesitation, the Doctor went inside.   

The building seemed to be a warehouse, but it didn’t look as though it had been used in many, many years. The cold seeped through the thin walls and roof. The noise that had brought the alien here happened again, a loud bang, and the Doctor looked up, surprised, realizing it was coming from above his head. He looked around, and found a ladder propped up against one of the ledges jutting out of the wall. He headed up.

“Hello?” the Doctor called, peering into the darkness.

He heard a gasp, then another bang.

The Doctor started moving towards the source of the noise. “I’m not going to hurt you, you know. Why don’t you come out?”

Silence.

“Don’t be afraid, please.”

“Who are you?” The voice was high-pitched, and there was a note of terror to it.

“I’m the Doctor. And you are?”

“A doctor? I don’t need a doctor. I can heal myself.”

“Are you hurt?”

“No. Well, yes. I think?”

The Doctor pulled out his sonic, and turned on the warehouse light above them.

A little girl, no more than seven or eight, stood on what appeared to be a makeshift bed. There was a mattress, but there was no bed frame, and there were a couple of very miserable blankets and one worn pillow on it. Surrounding the bed were a couple of toys, some old books and a bundle of photographs, all of which seemed to have come from a small chest at the foot of the bed. The girl herself had light brown hair, which was pulled into two braids, and was wearing several layers of clothes. She had shadows under her eyes, and barely looked strong enough to stand on her own.

“What did you do?” She asked, looking fearfully and the light fixture.

“I turned on the light. Now we can see each other better, right?”

“Who are you?”

“Told you already, I’m the Doctor. And I’m here to help. Are you alright?”

“I’m sick.” To prove this, the girl coughed, her braids swinging wildly.

“Can I sit down?”

She narrowed her eyes, but said nothing, so the Doctor took that as an invitation to walk over and take a seat on the mattress. “So, what seems to be the matter?”

Cautiously, she sat down next to him. “I’m sick, and I’m not going to get better.”

“How do you know?”

“I had a doctor look at me once. He said I was going to die.”

“Well, you must not have had a good doctor. Let me see. Say ah!”

She opened her mouth and stuck her tongue out.

“Let me see … ah, yes… fit as a fiddle!”

“You’re not a real doctor, are you?”

“I’m a cool doctor.”

“Why?”

“Because I wear bowties.”

“I don’t like bowties.”

“Hmph. You don’t know anything.”

The girl giggled. “Yes, I do!”

“What do you know, then?”

“I know that it’s Christmas.”

“Is it, really? Well then, merry Christmas.”

“You too. I wish I had a tree, though. I’ve never had a tree before.”

The Doctor beamed at her. “We can get you a tree! How about that, okay? Let’s go find one right now, and we can decorate it and everything.”

He reached for her hand, but she jerked it away, all caution and alert back. “No. I can’t go out there! They might find me. Please, Doctor, I don’t want to leave. I don’t want to be found.”

The Doctor was suddenly brought back to his senses. Why didn’t he think there was anything strange about a little girl living alone in an abandoned warehouse sooner?

“Who’s going to find you? You’re parents?”

She shook her head vigorously. “I don’t know where my parents are.”

“Then who?”

“Nobody.”

The Doctor looked at her, this dying girl with no home, and smiled. “I can take you someplace better, if you want.”

“Somewhere safe?”

“Yes, of course.” He stood up and started to walk back the way he came. “I can take you anywhere in time and space. And, if you decide you want to come back, I can take you right back here, only moments after you left. I have a time machine, you know.”

“You have a time machine? Cool!” She seemed to accept the fact that time travel was possible relatively easily.  

“Yup. Best one there is. I can take you away from here and help you find a good home, honest.”

“Some place even the Silence can’t find me?”

The Doctor stopped in his tracks, and turned around slowly.  “What did you say?”

“I need to go someplace where the Silence can’t find me. I don’t like the space suit.”

The Doctor stared at her, then finally brought himself to say “What’s your name?”

“Melody.”

“Oh, Melody. Melody, Melody, Melody.”

“What’s wrong?” Melody asked.

“Come here,” he said stretching his arms out.

She headed over to him, and hugged him uncertainly. “There’s something wrong, isn’t there?”

“No, not really. Well, yes, actually, but no.”

“You’re not making any sense.”

“I know.” He beamed at her. “Come on, let’s go out for a walk. I need to talk to you about a few things.”

“But-”

“I promise you, Melody, that if anyone tries to come get you, or even comes near you and looks remotely threatening, I will slay them.”

Melody looked at him, surprised. “You don’t look very frightening, I don’t think you would hurt anyone.”

“You’d be surprised,” the Doctor muttered darkly. “Come on, put on a coat and some warmer shoes, and we can get going.”

“I don’t have any.”

“Right. Well,” the Doctor took her hand. “Geronimo.”

They left the building, with Melody’s hand clenched tightly in the Doctor’s. They headed towards the main street, where he had heard the caroling earlier. The Doctor found a bench, and after warming it up, sat down. “Come on, Melody. Join me!” he patting the space next the him, and Melody climbed up.

They sat in silence for a little bit, watching the holiday festivities. It was Melody who spoke first.

“I’m going to die, aren’t I?”

The Doctor sighed. “Yes. And no.”

“What does that mean?”

“You said you could heal yourself, right?”

“Yeah, but only sometimes. I can’t fix myself this time.”

“You can. Right when it hurts the most, right when you’re going to die, you’re going to come back, in a shower of yellow light, and you’ll be healed.”

Something in the Doctor’s voice made Melody pause. “But…”

“But you’ll change. You’ll have a different body, and you’ll be a different person.”

“Can everyone do this?”

“No.”

“Can you?”

“... Yes.”

“Is this why Madam Kovarian took me away from my parents?”

“Kinda.”

“She said something about me being a weapon. What does that mean?”

The Doctor hung his head. “You’ll understand, eventually.”

“Doctor?”

“Yeah?”

“Are my parents dead?”

“Now, this is where it gets interesting. Your parents are alive. It’s just that they’re the same age as you.”

“How is that possible?”

He shrugged. “Time travel, I guess.”

“Can I tell them they’re my parents?”

“No. But here’s what you must do. You have to find them, and become their friend.”

“What if they don’t like me?”

“They’ll love you, promise. Then, one day, after they’re married and they have kids, well, they have you, then you can tell them everything.”

“Where do I find them?” A look of determination had settled itself on Melody’s face.

“Leadworth. It’s a long way away from here, but I think you can handle it. You need to look for an Amy Pond and Rory Williams.”

She repeated her parent’s names under her breath. “Okay. I think I’ve got it. You can’t tell me any more?”

“No, not really.”

“Okay. Just one last question.”

“Anything.”

“Why is this all happening to me?”

“I don’t know. I really, really don’t know.” The Doctor felt as though he were on the verge of tears, but he covered this up by pulling Melody into his lap. “So, little girl,” he said, smiling down at her, “What do you want this Christmas?”

Melody giggled. “Can we go to the concert tonight? The town has one every year, and you sing Christmas songs and everything. There’s a band, too, and in the end, you can pet Santa’s reindeer!”

The Doctor laughed. “Deal.”

Three hours later, the Doctor walked back into the warehouse, carrying a sleeping Melody in his arms. She was wearing her new holiday sweater, a blue one with a reindeer on it, that the Doctor had bought for her. They had spent the night together dancing and singing and overall having a great time, but now it was time for the Doctor to leave. He carried Melody her here bed, and tucked her in, leaning down to kiss her on the forehead.  She awoke, and she glanced at the Doctor with sleep-filled eyes.

“What’s wrong?” She asked.

“I’m leaving,” he whispered.

“Oh. You can’t stay?” She yawned, already drifting back to sleep.

“No.”

“Okay.”

The Doctor reached into his pocket, and pulled out an envelope that contained a letter which he had written earlier in the evening (He told Melody that he had to go to the bathroom, but instead left to write). The letter told her most everything, including what he told her on the bench, and everything that he wasn’t able to bring himself to say then. The Doctor propped the letter against the bed, where she was sure to see it. He then pulled out the doll that Rory had given him, and tucked it under the covers with her.

The Doctor kissed the top of her head on last time, then left, walking toward his TARDIS. Before he left the building, though, he heard a ‘Merry Christmas, Doctor,’ called after him.

“Merry Christmas, Melody.” He smiled.

 

\-------------------------

 

As the TARDIS materialized, the Doctor stood facing the doors. He had a cup of cocoa in each hand, which he had made as soon as he got back into his time machine after saying goodbye to Melody. The doors opened, and the Doctor stepped out, his eyes adjusting to the dark of the Stormcage Containment Facility. “River?” he called, kicking the door shut behind him.

River Song leaned out of her cell, surprise in her features. “Doctor! What are you doing here? Is something wrong?” She opened to door to let him in.

“Nothing’s wrong, I just missed you.”

She stared at him.

“I brought drinks, the Doctor raised his hands, showing her the mugs. “Are we, ah, you know-”

“Married? Yes.”

The Doctor beamed at her. “Good, good.” He set the drinks down. “Sorry for barging in on you like this, I just-”

The Doctor stopped talking, for River had just wrapped his arms around his middle, pulling him into a tight hug. He too, wrapped his arms around her, and buried his face into her shoulder, only to look up quickly when he noticed something sitting on the bed.

It was a ragdoll, just like the one that Rory had given him only hours before.

 

 


	4. Tinsel and Relative Dimensions in Snow

“I can’t believe it,” Rory said, his voice hollow and bitter. “I just can’t believe it.”

Amy stood behind him, hands on his shoulders. “I could have been worse,” she coaxed. “We could have been in the house. And we still have the garage.”

“This is all my fault.”

“No, no it’s not. If anything, it’s mine. You told me that you were going to shower, and to check the oven. And I didn’t.”

“Stupid pie…”

The Ponds were standing across the street from their smoldering house, watching firemen run in every direction. Luckily, they had put out the fire quickly, and nobody had got hurt, but the house had a wreck. The only thing that stood unharmed was the ‘garage’, which was actually just a small shed that they couldn’t fit a car in even if they wanted to.

“This is going to cost us loads.” Rory muttered, unable to take his eyes of the house.

“Yeah, well, that’s what insurance is for, right?” When Rory said nothing, she sighed and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. “It’s Christmas, cheer up!”

Rory reached over to pull her into a hug. Together, they waited until the firemen and police had finished their job, who left after being assured by the Ponds that they were fine and had someplace to go.

They walked around the house, hand in hand, assessing the damage. The prices for repairs were getting so high, that they were almost relieved to hear a familiar noise coming from behind them.

They turned, at watched as a police pox faded in and out, finally staying solid. “Now?” Amy asked, baffled. “What’s he doing now?”

The TARDIS door opened, and a very scattered Doctor ran out. “Ah, hello, you two! I’m just borrowing your yard, if you don’t mind, I need to park her somewhere…” He ran forward, kissed both Amy and Rory, then dashed into the street, yelling a quick “Thank you! And stay away from the town square, if you can!” over his shoulder.

“Well, that was weird,” Rory said, shrugging.

“For the Doctor? No, that was perfectly normal. But, hey, atleast we can go inside and get warmed up.” Even though there was no snow, it was the end of December, so it was rather chilly. Amy crossed the short distance to the time machine, reaching for it’s doors. She grabbed the handle and pulled, but the door didn’t budge. “Oh, come on, what’s wrong with you! It’s us. You know, Red Hair and Pretty One?” The TARDIS remained unresponsive.

Rory, however, was looking at the TARDIS strangely. Then then looked at their shed, then back at that time machine.

“Whatever you’re thinking, Rory, it’s a bad idea.” Amy paused. “It’s definitely a bad a idea, seeing as you’re usually the one that says that to me.”

“No, it’s a great idea. We lost our Christmas tree, right?”

“Yes….”

“And we have extra lights in the garage, right?”

“Yes, but … oh. Oh! Right then.” Amy flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Let’s do this.” They ran over to their shed, and Rory threw the doors opens, eyes gleaming in anticipation. The couple quickly threw out boxes of old Christmas decorations and started unpacking, taking out trails of garland. They ran around the TARDIS, laughing and warming themselves up.

“Well,” Amy said, admiring their handiwork, “It’s cute and all, but it needs lights. Do we have any?”

Rory checked a box at his feet. “Yes, we do. White lights or multicolored?”

“Definitely multicolored.”

They started the process again, running in circles around the time machine and wrapping the lights around it. After they finished, Amy sighed, looking at the plug. “If only there were some way to light it up…”

The lights lit up, and Amy looked in disbelief at the unplugged plug still in her hand.

Beside her, her husband laughed. “Guess the TARDIS is paying attention to us after all!”

Amy giggled. “Okay, next,” she said. “We need ornaments.”

“How are we going to put those up?”

“We could … um … stab them into the wood or something.”

The lights turned off.

“Okay, okay, I’m kidding!”

The lights turn back on.

Rory watched his wife fight with the time machine, then started looking in the boxes for a roll of tape. When he found it, he let out a triumphant yell.

Amy whipped around to look at him, red hair flying in every direction. When she spotted the tape in his hand, she laughed, too. Together, they found some ornaments and started to tape them all over the police box.

Finally, after the sky had grown dark, the Ponds finished their job, they looked at their Christmas time machine in awe.

“It needs a star,” Rory said.

So, one last time, the couple reached into the boxes. Once they found the star, Amy sat on Rory’s shoulders, and he (with some difficulty), walked them to the TARDIS. Amy reached over, putting the star directly on top of the light. “We did it!” she yelled, punching the air and causing Rory to fall backwards. She landed on top of him, laughing, and rolled over to kiss her husband. Rory pressed his body against hers, and they held each other, laughing uncontrollably and kissing each other rather naughtily.  

When Rory pressed his face into her neck, Amy shrieked, jumping up. “Your nose is cold!” She backed away from him, pretending to be disgusted. Instead, she tripped over one of the boxes, causing them both the laugh harder.

Rory got up and peered into the offending box.

“What’s in there?” Amy asked.

When Rory looked up at her, he had a mischievous grin on his face. “Sweaters,” he said.

“Not - Not Christmas sweaters, right? Not ugly sweaters?”

“Yup! And two of them, look at how convenient.”

“No.”

“Yes! And see, this one matches your hair!” He pulled out a red one with a snowman on it.

“I refuse-”

“Please?”

“No.”

“Please please please?”

Amy begrudgingly took the sweater and put it on. “Your turn,” she hissed.

Rory looked in the box again. “Oh, look at that, I must miscounted. None left.”

Amy opened her mouth, probably to scream some profanity into the sky, but Rory closed it with a kiss. When they pulled apart, Rory looked at her pleadingly.

“Oh, alright,” she whispered. “But only for tonight, got it, Stupid Face?”

Rory beamed at her, then yawned.

“Oh gosh,” Amy said, “We don’t even have a place to sleep!”

“There’s a pillow in the garage,” Rory suggested hopefully.

“But it’s cold outside!”

“Are you cold?”

“No, actually, I’m really warm, but I should be cold, right? I mean, it’s snowing.” Amy gasped. “Wait, it’s snowing. When did that happen? It wasn’t snowing earlier, was it?”

“Relax, it just started. Come on, let’s go get that pillow.”

Taking Amy by the hand, Rory led her into the garage, and true to his word, came out with a pillow, which he dropped in front of the TARDIS. Rory then got down, making himself comfortable.

“But there’s only one pillow!”

“Boo hoo. Get down here, you always end up using me as a pillow anyway.”

“True.” And with that, Amy curled up beside her husband. “Hey Rory?”

“Mmmhh?”

Amy started singing. “Have yourself, a merry little Christmas-”

“Please don’t do this to me.”

“Let your heart be light-”

“Amy you’re a terrible singer please stop.”

“Next year all our troubles will be-”

This time, it wasn’t Rory who interrupted her, but the TARDIS, who started to play “Sleigh Ride” in order to cover Amy’s singing up.

“Oi! I’m not that bad!”

“Amy, stop fighting the time machine and go to sleep.”

She huffed, but silenced when Rory wrapped his arms around her.

\------------------------

Hours later, the Doctor walked into his companions’ backyard, holding three steaming cups of hot cocoa in his hands. It was the least he could do, seeing as he had probably left them extremely confused. When he past their house, however, he froze. They had half a house. Have they always had half a house? “PONDS?” he bellowed, running to his TARDIS. He stopped, however, when he saw Amy and Rory curled together on the ground, with Amy in a Christmas sweater.

He headed toward them, worried that they were hurt, but found them sound asleep instead, with the TARDIS keeping them nice and warm. She was also playing holiday music. Huh. Imagine that. The Doctor turned, planning on going inside, when he found his way blocked by strings of garland and lights, along with the occasional ornament.

The Doctor sighed, accepting defeat, and sat on the ground beside the Ponds. He brought one of the mugs to his lips, and took a long drink.

“Merry Christmas to all,” he said, closing his eyes. “And to all, a good night.”

 

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, June! It seems that we've come to the end of our journey. But, it's been such a pleasure writing for you, and I really do hope that we become friends. I love you and your blog, and I hope that this holiday season is great for you. *hugs you* Honestly, I'm honored to have done a gift for such a cool person. Maybe we'll keep talking though, yeah? :) Like me or not, you can't get rid of me, I'm totally going to follow you on tumblr.   
> Well then, June, cheers! (✿◠‿◠)  
> Love,   
> Your no longer Secret Santa,  
> Raxacoricofallapotato.


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